Villas Sol

Villas Sol, Costa Rica

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The Villas Sol Hotel and Beach Resort markets itself on the idea that ‘a great experience lasts forever’ – the point being that if you have a great time, the memory will live with you forever and maybe keep you going when things are tough.

The Villas Sol certainly makes a big impression from the moment you arrive. Set on a forested hillside, sloping gently down towards the resort’s private beach and the balmy waters of the Pacific, it’s a location that seems to have been precisely calculated to be a relaxing as possible. If Feng Shui was ever involved in the shaping of geography, it was involved here.

All accommodation at the Villas Sol Hotel and Beach Resort is based either in the main hotel building or in one of the outlying villas. The main hotel is so designed that each internal room has its own ocean view, in most cases a magnificent vista framed by the tropical palms and other plants that meander down to the water’s edge. Each room is comprehensively equipped for four people, so vacationing families with young children can be comfortably accommodated without the need for booking extra rooms. Each of the hotel rooms also has full air conditioning, although given the building’s proximity to the sea this isn’t always necessary.

If you want just a little more seclusion, you could decide instead to stay in one of the resort’s 106 villas. These range in size from one bedroom to three, and, as you go up scale, include features like private terraces. All have cooking and relaxation facilities, so if you’re planning a family holiday a villa could prove an even better bet than one of the hotel’s rooms.

The Villas Sol offers a very wide selection of activities for vacationers, including the full array of watersports and other fun pastimes you would expect from a resort of this quality. One of the most popular activities on offer for young and old alike is the Villas Sol sunset cruise. You can be taken for a private cruise through the waters of the Gulf of Papagayo on the resort’s very own sailing yacht, the 44-foot Jessica Anne. The sight of the sun setting on the far horizon of the Pacific Ocean is one that you’re never likely to forget – one of those great Villas Sol experiences that lasts forever.

Back on dry land you might be interested in making the most of the resort’s spa facilities, especially if you’ve been working up a sweat playing sports or covering yourself in salt sea spray. The spa offers a full range of treatments from facials to mud wraps and even – for the adventurous or lovers of the way-out – algae baths. The management of the Villas Sol is increasingly following international spa resort trends by committing themselves to a holistic approach to relaxation health. The spa area also features a fully-equipped gym. With this, as so many other things, the Villas Sol means what it says. Lesser resorts’ gyms often contain little more than an old exercise bike and a weights bench in the corner of a back room. At the Villas Sol things are done properly, and a full range of cardiovascular and weights machines are available, allowing a full workout.

If you’re going to burn off energy in the gym, it’s important to replenish those lost calories afterwards. In this regard, as in most others, the Villas Sol excels, featuring two restaurants and a snack bar. The La Bahia restaurant is a traditional resort buffet, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. The cooking, which is uniformly excellent, features a range of local dishes, plus a full selection of American home-style food for more conservative diners and kids.

If you want to push the boat out a little, you could visit the resort’s Heliconias restaurant. This is one venue where the surroundings almost match the quality of the food – almost. Set amid lush tropical gardens, which, the management claim, have been specially designed to reflect the true ambience of Costa Rican nature, Heliconias serves an eclectic range of haute cuisine and world food lovingly prepared by the chef and intended to be a true taste of luxury. This is as good an upscale eating experience as you might expect in some of the better restaurants of London, New York or Paris – so make the most of it while you’re staying at Villas Sol!

All things considered, The Villas Sol Hotel and Beach Resort really is great experience – especially because much of the pricing is based on an all-inclusive scheme, so you don’t have to worry about carry cash around or particularly keep track of your spending. This is a resort made in paradise for a people who want a taste of exactly that – paradise.